Corset-fastening.



PATENTBD MAR. .9.4,` 1903 E. s.V BOWKER.- CORSET FASTENING. vAPPLIoATfoN'rILBD MAR. 1o, 1902.

N0.v72s,234.

N0 MODEL. v

UNITED: STATES ATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST` S.. BOWKER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

j CORSET-FASTENING.

l SPECIFICATION forming Vpart of Letters Patent No. 723,234, dated March24,1903.

. Applicant inea March 1o, `19,02. serai No. 97,542. on metti.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that LERNEsT S. BOWKER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chi-A cagocounty of Cook, vState of Illinois, have inventeda certain new and useful Improvement in Corset-Fastenings; Aand I`declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which itpertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, which forma part of this specification.

My invention relates generally to fastening devices, and moreparticularly to devices for positively fastening together the steels inthe front of corsets. 1

Considerable annoyance is often experienced in the use of corsetsprovided with the usual form of clasps for connecting the steels, owingto the accidental unfastening of the clasps, due to the movement of thebody of the user when stooping or bending-as, for instance, in pickingup an article from the floor.

The object of myinventiongis to provide a clasp to be secured to one of'the steels of a corset, which may be readily-'engaged with anddisengaged from the usualK stud on the other corset-steel, bnt'whichwill not be accidentallyunfastened by the movement of the body of thewearer of the corset.

A further objectof my invention is to provide a corset-fastener which,will be simple in construction, inexpensive in manufacture, andefficient in use.

Myinvention, briey described, consists in a clasp adapted to be securedto one of the steels of a corset and provided with an aperture toreceive a stud on the other corsetsteel of less width than thediameterof the head of the stud, part of the aperture being formed in aresilient tongue extending across Figure lis an elevational view showingthe front steels of acorset provided with my improved clasp; Fig.,2, anenlarged plan view of the clasp detached from the corset-steel; f

and Figs. 8, 4, and 5 sectional views taken on line 3 3, Fig. l, showingthe stud being inserted-in, removed from, and in normal position in theclasp, respectively.

The same reference'characters are used to indicate the same parts in theseveral figures of the drawings.

Reference -letters A and B indicate the steels which are provided at thefront of corsets and to which the fastening devices are ordinarilysecured. A The steel B is provided with a series of studs b, securedthereto in any suitable manner and located at predetermined intervalsapart. The studs b are such as are usually employed to engage claspssecured to the other corset-steel.

c ct indicate fastening devices-of common construction secured to thecorset-steel A in any suitable manner, as by means of rivets, andprovided with apertures to receive, the heads of the studs b b. Theapertures in the clasps a are usually of keyhole shape, the largerportion of the aperture being slightly larger in diameter than the headsof the studs, while the restricted slots communieating with the enlargedportions of the apertures areof a width slightly greater than the necksof the studs, but of less diameter than the heads of the studs. `Whenthe corsetsteels are moved toward each other, the heads of the studs atonce pass through the enlarged portions of the apertures in the claspsand permit the steels to separate at the point of unfastening. It isconsequently desirable to provide one or more clasps which will prevent-the accidental passage of the head of the stud through the aperture inthe clasp.

c indicates a clasp embodying my improvement, which consists in aresilient tongue C', preferably formed integral with the clasp andprojecting within the opening in the clasp, which results from theformation of the resilient tongue. The detached end of the resilienttongue is provided with a slot c', extending to the edge of the tongueand of a width less than the diameter of the head of the coperatingstud. A slot c -is formed in the clasp of a width corresponding to theIOO stud is being disengaged from the clasp. The

flexibility of the entire length of the tongue C is thereby utilized indisengaging the stud from the clasp as well as in inserting the same inthe clasp.

The clasp C may be secured to the corsetsteel in anysuitablemanneras,for instance, by rivets-and one or more of such clasps maybesecured to the corset-steel in addition to one or more clasps aofordinary construction. In Fig. 1 l have shown two clasps C,

secured to the top and bottom of the steel A,

but it is obvious that the number and position of such clasps may bevaried, as experience may prove desirable.

The operation of my improved corset-fastener is as follows: The stud atthe point opposite the clasp is pressed against the resilient tongueC',thereby lifting the same, as indicated in Fig. 3, to such a positionthat the neck of the stud may slide into the slot c, thereby permittingthe head of the stud to pass laterally out of the path of movement ofthe tongue, which then returns to its normal position. The stud may bedisengaged from the clasp by relatively moving the corset-steels towardeach other, so that the neck of the stud engages the slot c' in theresilient tongue. The latter may then be depressed,as shown in Fig'. 4,so that the head of the stud is slightly below the plane of the clasp C,and may be therefore disengaged therefrom.

It will be observed that in order to disengage a stud from my improvedclasp it is necessary that the corset-steels should first be movedtoward each other, then relatively in planes transverse thereto, andthen away from each other, and consequently there is Vlittle liabilityof the accidental disengagement of the stud from the clasp. Theresiliency of the tongue C', which may be determined by its length, issuch as to permit the ready engagement and disengagement of the stud.from the clasp, but is suicient to prevent the necessary movement of thetongue 'to disengage the stud from the clasp by the force which wouldordinarily be exerted by the movement of the body of the wearer.

While I have described more or less precisely the details ofconstruction,I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto,

The

as I contemplate changes in form, the proportion of parts, and thesubstitution of equivalents, as circumstances may suggest or renderexpedient, without departing from the spirit of my invention. v

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a corset-fastening, the combination with a metal clasp, of aresilient tongue having an offset between its end and its point ofconnection with the clasp and comprising a portion between the oiset andits end located in the same plane as the clasp and a portion between theolset and point of connection with the clasp lying in a plane above thatof the plane of the clasp, but adapted to bend into contact with thesteel to permit the entire resiliency of the tongue to be utilized inthe removal as well as the insertion of the stud, said clasp and tonguehaving alined slots therein.

2. The combination with a corset-steel, of a clasp secured to andextending across the corset-steel and projecting beyond an edge thereof,a resilient tongue located in the open center of and secured to saidclasp and extendingabove but normally out of contact with thecorset-steel substantially the entire width of the corset-steel, butadapted to bend into contact with the steel to permit the entireresiliency of the tongue to be utilized in the removal as well as theinsertion of the stud, said tongue and clasp having alined slotstherein.

3. The combination with a pair of corsetsteels, of a stud secured to onesteel, a clasp secured to and projecting beyond the edge of the othersteel, a resilient tongue located in the open center of and secured tosaid clasp and comprising an end portion in the same plane as the clasp,an offset located above the edge of the steel and a portion between theolset and the point of connection with the clasp normally lying abovethe corset-steel, but adapted to bend into contact with the steel topermit the entire resiliency of the tongue to be utilized in the removalas well as the insertion of the stud, said tongue having a slotextending to its outer end in alinement with a slot formed in the clasp.

Intestimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of twowitnesses.

ERNEST S. BOWKER.

IOO

